Several people browsing the job fair tables last week were still mystified about why they didn’t make the cut. They had good records and supervisors told them not to worry.

Others knew: That drunken-driving arrest didn’t help, one sailor said. Another figured that an infraction as a young man, the result of teenage poor judgment, was to blame.

Greenert said that in this tight environment, those things matter.

“It’s pretty competitive today,” he said in an interview.

The Navy layoffs took aim at 31 job categories that were too full. Aviation support jobs and construction took big hits. Shipboard roles such as electricians mate, surface sonar technician and machinery repairman were also on the chopping block.

These jobs are popular and may require less training to become qualified, Greenert said. Also the Navy is “reshaping” the force to build expertise in cyberspace dominance and ballistic missile defense.

Laid-off sailors were offered two possible bright spots.

First, before they got the ax, they were invited to apply for jobs that weren’t overbooked. A total of 125 successfully made that move.

Why not more? Oborn said those positions weren’t attractive. Another sailor at the employment fair, 25-year-old Eboni Osteen, said her aptitude test scores didn’t open that door for her.

And, in January, the Navy announced that early retirement is a possibility for those cut at 15 years of service. The monthly payment will be less than full retirement, but there’s no word on exactly how much.

Departing sailors also get a one-time severance payment, called involuntary separation pay, if they agree to join the reserves for three years. For a petty officer 1st class with seven years of service, that equals a taxable check of roughly $24,000.

The Navy touts this among the enhanced goodbye benefits it is offering. Others include six months of health coverage, two years of commissary access and one-on-one resume help from a job counselor.

Sailors are quick to point out that the separation bonus must be paid back if a service member draws U.S. Veterans Affairs Department benefits, or retires through the reserves. It’s more like an interest-free loan, some said.

A retirement check is on the mind of many of these sailors. Several hope that getting another government job, or enlisting in another military branch, will add up to a full federal pension.

Navy Seabee Joseph Lopez, 27, said he doesn’t regret joining the service. He sees his mistake as staying.

“The military is a good first step. But I took too many steps, and now I’m not getting a retirement check for 10 years” of work, he said.

Fellow Seabee David Poggemoeller said he can see the bright side to his eight years of service. Now he’s got the GI Bill, and he hopes to start a new career by getting training in computers. His Navy record may help him snare a federal job.

“There are a lot of new opportunities that I’ve gained,” Poggemoeller, 27, said. Plus, “I’ve done and seen things that most people won’t in life.”

Though “bummed out,” aviation mechanic Oborn can still see some light ahead. In the civilian world, if he works a 10- or 12-hour day, he’ll get overtime pay — for a change.

“If you strive to do your best, you get rewarded. A lot more than in the military,” Oborn said.